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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501149">transmogrification</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehkind/pseuds/Rehkind'>Rehkind</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, F/F, F/M, Kidnapping i guess???, M/M, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Apocalypse, Virus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:48:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,235</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehkind/pseuds/Rehkind</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>6 years ago, a door opened. Through it, something new entered the world and with them, they brought a virus.<br/>Dina, one of the few humans still traveling through the abandoned landscape is a carrier for this virus. When she gets caught by a Nyk, she gets to see the other side of the conflict.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Female Character(s)/Original Non-Binary Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun woke her up - this was the day she had to leave. She had exploited all of the areas resources, the canned food, the wild berries, the nice bottled water but also the not so nice water. She had played all the board games she could find against herself and went over all the books she could find. There was simply nothing left to do. And nothing to survive from.<br/>
It was a shame. The area was fun. She had discovered an old gym and cleared it out, making space to safely try out her roller skates. She would have to avoid that for a while now, until she found a save space. Skating around outside was a death wish. The world she was living in now was dangerous. Dangerous and lonely. </p><p>She hadn’t met a human since at least half a year. It was hard keeping track of the time. Her phone had died ages ago and all of her attempts at keeping a calendar herself were futile. Being alone didn’t really bother her a lot though. She knew her family and closest friends were living somewhere safe and sound. Just a shame she could not be with them. </p><p>She didn’t have a lot to take along. She didn’t really carry around a lot of clothes, they simply took up too much space. If something broke, she could find it again in some other house. She looked outside, the sun had only risen a little. Good. She had to leave now. If she didn’t, the night would catch up with her and that was a lot more dangerous once again. Taking out some of her most precious possessions, a map and a compass, she started to walk east.<br/>
She didn’t know how long it would take to reach the next city, even after all this time, she was bad at estimating things like walking speed. Walking down the streets, she stuck close to the walls. She could be seen. Not by humans but by the new real residents of this world. </p><p>They had arrived 6 years ago. They were clearly stronger than normal humans and they wanted to take what they thought belonged to them. But worse than their conquering schemes, they brought new illnesses along. Some were simply just killing people, like a really bad flu. But some did other things. Things that transcended categories like ‘good’ and ‘bad’.<br/>
The strongest virus started as a whole being that had arrived with the other ones. But at some point, they stopped being a person and turned into thousands of cells that somehow were transmissible. People who were infected didn’t show signs for weeks, or even months. But when it started showing symptoms, most people already started dying. But that wasn’t the goal of the virus. Instead, it tried to change its host anatomy into something more similar to it’s own origin. Only a few survived. But the ones that did weren’t human anymore. They were now part of the new population. </p><p>But that was long ago. Most of these discoveries were made 2 years after their arrival, and then society already broke into thousands of tiny pieces. Soon after, the strongholds were build, gigantic cities hidden in spheres, only letting the healthy and compliant inside.<br/>
Sadly, she was neither according to them. The virus never really affected her but apparently, she was a carrier. It was a miracle that her family hadn’t been infected too and she was so thankful for it. She could survive this as long as she didn’t need to worry about anyone else than herself. </p><p>And that’s exactly what she did right now, survive. Sunken in thoughts, she had reached the end of the city. Now, here was the tricky part. Without any houses to hide between, she was out in the open and that was unacceptable. So she had to say goodbye to the road. Pulling up the hood of her jacket, she looked around. She was lucky, between the patches of farmland, there were also trees. She had to stay alert though. It wasn’t her first time travelling between cities. She could do this.<br/>
The walk itself was pleasant. It was spring and nature was growing like crazy. The birds chirped and between the trees and grass, all sorts of small mammals ran around. Nature had taken back the world by storm once the capitalistic system broke down. The way their new cohabitants used it was apparently a lot eco-friendlier too. </p><p>She had spend quite some time thinking about them and how their society worked. There wasn’t a lot else to do. In between the nature all around her, the peaceful sounds of birds and the tiny clouds sitting beside the sun, she had sunken deep into her flow of thoughts. She wasn’t scared of these new beings, she was simply driven by curiosity. There were a few things she knew for sure: Their population was tiny when compared to the human one. Of course, she didn’t know the exact numbers, but she knew that they had only build a handful of big cities on each continent. Most of them spend their time in those but a few lived along the countryside in between. Those were the ones she should probably avoid. </p><p>Another thing she knew was that they didn’t die as quickly as humans. She had never been privy to learning about their anatomy but she had heard that their organs worked like a shark’s set of teeth, constantly ready to replace a broken one. They were able to keep going even when riddled by bullets so it could be the truth. Their insides must look fun, completely overfilled and chaotic. She liked that theory. There was a lot of useless garbage being gossiped about too. She still remembered the best ones from the short time she had travelled with a group. Being able to grow extra arms, a hivemind, 3 dicks - none of these ideas were based on any evidence. </p><p>She didn’t even know if they reproduced like humans did. She had suspected that they relied on the virus turning whatever species they were conquering into new members of their race. With the high mortality rate, it would explain their low numbers. At the same time, they had only been here for 6 years. There might be a sudden population boom in a few years, who knew. The rest of her knowledge was rather trivial in nature. They had adapted to human languages rather quickly, making the communication with their newly turned ones rather easy. Wherever they came from, they were connected to humans in some way since their body plans were so similar. They had very cool teeth. They were omnivores. </p><p>It all would be easier to understand if she simply could ask one of them. Taking a short break against a tree, she pulled out a water bottle. Hell, she didn’t even know how this new species called themselves. The media called them aliens most times (when they still existed) and most of the people travelling around nowadays called them by rather derogatory terms. She didn’t like either of those options. Maybe she would change her mind if she ever met one of them face to face. </p><p>It might lead to her death. That was the last thing she knew about the new inhabitants of this world. They were able to seperate the ones who were infected and the ones who were healthy. She didn’t know how, maybe it was something that happened via pheromones? They did no harm to the ones who were carrying the virus. But the ones who didn’t? Second hand accounts had told her again and again that they would be killed and eaten. But of course, humans weren’t sure who had the virus so even these claims weren’t to be trusted 100%. There was proof that they killed though and that was enough to keep her away.</p><p>It was around noon. She couldn’t see any parts of the city she had left anymore. Good. She could take a break, her legs were burning. She was used to ignoring it. If there was one thing that this apocalypse of sort had done, it had improved her stamina. Didn’t really do a lot for overall running speed or weight, but at least she was able to keep going. She had no clue where she was right now. She could see the street so she was going somewhere. All streets went somewhere. They had to. She should had to keep walking. </p><p>There was a light breeze making the sun bearable. There were less and less trees which kept her more and more cautious. Soon, she was standing out in the open, visible for everyone around here. She could return to the trees. But she would lose the road. With a heavy heart she kept walking. What a shit spot. The next town better be good. </p><p>It was boring. There was nothing to see, no animals to watch or hear, just the short grass and the road. She desperately wanted to dive into her daydreams but she could not. She had to stay alert. Maybe she was even a little too on edge. Each noise made her jump, and most times, she was the one making noises. It must be pathetic to watch. Thankfully, no one was around. Hopefully.</p><p>The treeless walk took hours. And this time, it wasn’t just her imagination. The sun had changed positions and she was slowly becoming more nervous. She had to find some sort of abandoned building before the sun set. She picked up the pace which was stupid because half an hour later, she had to slow down a lot. But then, at the end of the road, she saw an abandoned ikea. Oh that was downright perfect. She would be sleeping on a bed tonight! She practically ran towards it.<br/>
She would have to leave soon. A furniture store didn’t really provide everything one needed. But it should last for a few days. When she finally arrived, she could see that the doors had been removed. Someone had been here before. Maybe yesterday, maybe 3 years ago. Still, she decided to enter. She would simply sneak around a bit, making sure no one was there. </p><p>It was strange, being in an empty space that still felt like it should be loud and filled with people. She still felt like hundreds of eyes were on her, the people belonging to those eyes simply were missing. The downstairs area was destroyed, probably by humans and animals. The stairs were filled with trash of all sorts. She tried to keep her eyes from the floor, she didn’t really want to know what exactly was beneath her feet. Upstairs, there were some traces of the chaos but many of the pre-furnished areas were still looking neat and tidy. And most importantly, she didn’t spot any signs of recent movement. Shit was super dusty. </p><p>Raiding the kitchen, she still found some well hidden bottled water and soda. She really needed those. There wasn’t any food left that wouldn’t kill her upon ingestion though. As much as preservatives did, they weren’t made for this apparently. There was nothing else interesting around there. She started wandering through the store, searching for a tiny fake flat to play house for a few hours. Her chosen spot was hidden behind a book shelf. Nicely sheltered from any curious eyes. She had to clean up a bit first, shaking out the blankets. She pulled 3 from the other beds, building a fortress. She didn’t bother getting under the sheets. It would slow her down to much if she did have to run. But right now, she didn’t need to do that. She could sleep. There was no one to run from. </p><p> </p><p>Until there was. </p><p>She woke up in the darkness. Her eyes didn’t really appreciate the environment, but something must have woken her up. She quietly got out of bed, crouching down next to it. She didn’t see but she heard. Someone was downstairs. Two people, talking to each other. She couldn’t understand their words but they sounded relaxed. Happy. Loud. A human wouldn’t be so careless. A human would be blind at this time of day anyway. Oh god, she had fucked up. She might be already dead. She couldn’t see them, couldn’t smell them but they might. They might be seeing her as clear as daylight. Maybe they could even hear her heart nearly ripping out of her chest. Maybe. </p><p>Suddenly, all was quiet. They had stopped talking. But she could hear footsteps. They were getting closer.<br/>
She tried to remember the layout around her. Sitting down next to the bookcase, she could only hope that it would help her hide. She followed the sounds of the footsteps attentively, imaging where they might be going. Around a corner, walking over a carpet, accidentally bumping into something. Until there were no sounds at all. The air around her was tense enough to burst when the bed behind her shifted ever so slightly. She prayed it was her imagination. Then hot breath hit her neck. </p><p>She ran. She didn’t even have to think about it, her legs were doing it all by themselves. She still didn’t see anything. But now she could hear her pursuer behind her. He was laugh and he was far too close. He was laughing at her. Something hit her knee and sent her tumbling towards the floor. She hit her head against something, and saw stars for a moment. Still, she tried to pull herself forward, tried to get up, as she was tackled to the floor again. </p><p>She didn’t even have enough time to process what exactly was going on when she was turned around and a hand grabbed her face, pulling it from side to side. So they could see in the dark. She still was unable to recognize anything. Her captor was sitting on her hips but her arms were still able to move. The moment she got her hands up to resist, they got pinned down over her head. Fuck. “I caught her, Sorin!” he called out. What a normal name. He must have been one the humans turned. She got ripped out of her train of thoughts when the second hand started to explore her neck. She didn’t dare to move while the pressure around her neck rose and then sunk, again and again. Finally, he let go, instead resting his hand on her chest. “Damn, you’re soft,” he muttered, so quiet only the two of them would be able to hear.</p><p>He finally stopped the touching when his hunting partner arrived. “I found her backpack, might have something useful inside,” Sorin informed him. The weight on her hips shifted but didn’t leave entirely. “Let’s take a look later. Should I cut her up here or downstairs?” He sounded like he was discussing business. Cold, professional, it was weird. She still didn’t move. She could, she knew it but she would prefer to live as long as possible. Even if it meant to not interrupt their talk. Sorin sighed out loud, somehow he was not impressed by his coworkers performance. “Did you really forget what Zet said,” he asked, leaving some time for an answer. Since nothing came, he continued annoyed: “He needs a new assistant, Alek.” </p><p>“What’s up with Denzel?” “He was too unruly - Zet gave him like, a thousand chances and he still fucked up.” Silence. Just a few moments of quiet but she hated it. Her eyes still weren’t of any help. All she could do is assume their position. She hated the feeling of not knowing. “You think he’s going to like her?” Alek asked finally. “She looks like his type, the rest really depends on how quickly she will adapt,” Sorin answered.<br/>
He finally got of her hips but before she could even think about running, a heavy boot set down on her chest. “We are giving you a chance to make yourself useful,” the voice belonged to Sorin. “Don’t disappoint us and you might just stay alive for a bit.”</p><p>She nodded, her tongue seemed tied up. But that was enough apparently as the boot left her chest. Leaving her no time to try anything, she got picked up like a toy. She guessed it was Alek carrying her over his shoulder. At least the wandering hands pointed to him. As they walked downstairs again, ignoring her completely, the situation slowly caught up to her. She got caught. She could feel tears in her eyes all of a sudden. No. She won’t cry. She was alive, right? Nothing to cry about. She forced herself to regulate her breathe, blinking away any tears. She had to stay calm. Things would change but it could be alright? It was nothing worth showing weakness in front of her new captors. When they reached the front door, she had herself under control again. She could work out what to really feel later, when she had a moment to herself. At least she hoped she would get that chance. </p><p>Now that the moonlight had reached her eyes and the tears had left them, she could try to absorb some more details. Of course, hanging over someone’s shoulder, there wasn’t a lot to see exactly. But Alek was very tall, she could say so much. And muscular. No wonder he could pick her up without breaking a sweat. No wonder he caught her that quickly. There was a clicking sound. Something she hadn’t heard for a while -  a car. Trying to peak past Alek’s back to get a look at it, she could only see that it was big. Better than no info. Someone opened the door and suddenly, she got pulled over his shoulder. It was an awkward way to be moved, and her hair ended up covering up her eyes. The door was shoved close as she tried to get it out of her view. </p><p>The interior of the car was dirty. She let her eyes wander from her window to the passenger seat to the middle console to- oh god. There was a dead body next to her. Tangled in a net, stake in head. It looked like he had been caught in a trap. She pressed her body against the window as the two men got into the car. A part of her wanted to use this chance, while the car lights were still on, to examine their face, learn something new, doing anything useful. But her eyes couldn’t let go of the body. The dead, already grey fingers were so close to her. If they moved just a little, they could get to - “Oh, sorry about that,” Alek interrupted her panicked train of thought, sounding way to casual as he leaned back and pushed the corpse aside. “Buckle up,” he instructed her when he sat back down. She did as told without thinking too much. </p><p>Through all her time living on her own, surviving, she had never seen a dead body. But there had to be first times for everything after all. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look into the front window. She needed to focus on something else. Sorin had already started the engine and the lights were gone again. But the moonlight would be enough for her.<br/>
She decided to try and soak up every detail she could get. It was clear that they had been human at some point - they had all the necessary parts. 2 legs, 2 arms, a head. She couldn’t say a lot about their overall state, they were both wearing Jackets, covering up any growth scars or whatever else they could be hiding. But their faces weren’t. She could only see Sorin’s profile, and it looked entirely normal. He must have been lucky. He had a strong nose, dark eyes, curly hair. He wasn’t bad looking, just tired. And he could feel her eyes sitting on him apparently. He glared at her but turned just a bit -  enough for her to get a short glance at the other side of his face. His lips, well there wasn’t a lot left of them on that side. A good chunk of his cheek was missing, revealing his teeth. His sharp, large teeth… There were also weird, dark spikes growing out of his face. How strange.</p><p>She looked away. Not because she was disgusted. No. She was simply curious. But he had made clear that he didn’t want her looking. In her current situation, it was wise to listen to him. But there was another person she could bother. It was harder getting a good glance at Alek. He was sitting in front of her after all. Looking at the window, she could only get to his hair. It was long, very long, and dark-ish? Maybe brown, maybe red. She couldn’t quite decide. But that wasn’t enough. She wanted to see more. See him so she didn’t have to the the dead man next to her. But to do that, she might have to lean a bit closer. She shifted away from the window, to the middle of her seat. Still not good enough. She leaned forward. Nothing. She shifted a tiny little to the left. Just a little. Not too close to the - oh no she was way too close now. Abruptly, she moved back against the window. No she couldn’t. She had to give up. Maybe look outside. Maybe fall asleep. She was tired. Her situation wouldn’t get any worse if she did take a nap.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She starred outside. The nights were darker nowadays. Most of the light pollution was gone. There were nearly no clouds, so she could see that the night sky was filled with stars. She could see the milky way. It was beautiful. Sometimes between all the surviving, she forgot to appreciate the good things. </p>
<p>She must have fallen asleep bc she was woken up violently when the car stopped abruptly. “Get up,” Sorin called into the car, less aimed at her than the air. The doors unlocked and she instantly opened it, stumbling and then stopping. Running was useless. They were surrounded by dense forests, their leaves building a roof which was thick enough to keep out all the lights. If she ran, it would be ikea all over again. Maybe even more embarrassing, as she would run into a tree at some point. She kept looking out into the dark as the other doors opened. A strong arm was put over her shoulder, startling her once again. “Good decision,” Alec patted her head. “Looks like you’re a good girl.” She looked up, finally getting a good look at him. </p>
<p>It was interesting how scars could tell stories. Alec probably had very strong, fast growth spurts when the virus had turned him. 5 cm over his left eyebrow, his skin must have started to rip apart. A long and wide scar started there, working its way to the side of his mouth. His eye was still there but the pupil was deformed, like it had been pulled into a bunch of directions. He could be blind on that side, she wasn’t sure. There were so many more scars all over his skin. They were too straight to be from growth spurts and in spaces too weird. It seemed he liked to get into trouble.<br/>
He stopped looking into the forest and stared down at her. This clearly was the moment she should look away. But she couldn’t. He was too interesting to watch. Were all people who got turned handsome? Or did the virus take care of that? Like some weak compensation for ripping apart their faces, backs, and sometimes letting entirely new things grow on them? Were they pretty according to the new society they were entering? </p>
<p>“It’s rude to stare.” She was brought back to reality. She nearly forgot that most interactions didn’t leave time for her extensive inner monologue. She should really stop thinking so much. “I am damn well aware of how I’m looking,” Alec growled. This time without thinking she replied: “You are making assumptions.” She already regretted her words. Did she really unlearn all the things she knew about talking to people? Alec seemed just as surprised as she was. “So you can talk? Well then, what am I assuming?” he mocked her. Before she could answer, Sorin called: “Could you guys stop doing whatever that is and maybe help carry everything inside?” She turned around and walked up to the car, simply leaving Alec behind to get out of that conversation. She truly had lost all her social graces. </p>
<p>Before she could ask, Sorin pushed a bunch of crates into her hands. She felt like her arms would rip off but when she saw the amount he was carrying, she shut her mouth. Alec got back to the car and took out the corpse. She couldn’t get her eyes from it once again. The more she looked at it, the more it looked mangled and even dead-er. Apparently she was staring too much again, as Sorin bumped into her and commanded: “Move.” She stumbled ahead, following Sorin’s lead. She kept her eyes to the floor, she didn’t really want to look at the corpse again. The inside of the house were filled with good old electrical lights and her interest was peaked again. </p>
<p>Entering, there was a small hallway, with 4 doors and a staircase. It seemed super cramped. The few parts of the walls that were still left were covered in papers of all sorts. The biggest, cleanest one was laminated, a blueprint of sorts with a bunch of names scribbled on them. Sorin was already in the next room, the first door left, so she didn’t have time to read it sadly. The kitchen they entered was big but a little dirty. There was a few windows and another door. It was metal and she wondered what was behind it. There was also an oven, a big but old frige and a large counter with a sink which was rather full. Looking at the state of them, it seems like all of them were used frequently. “Set this down here,” Sorin pointed towards the counter. Meanwhile Alec pushed the other door open, carrying the corpse inside. She really wanted to see what was inside. But she really didn’t want to see the corpse. Well, she could look at it for another second. </p>
<p>She tiptoed over and looked through the door frame. She instantly regretted looking, and turned around as quick as possible. It was a cooling chamber, a nice clean spot, and it was filled with dead bodies. While most were animals, she had looked straight at one of the human corpses. It seemed like it was looking at her directly. She sank to her knees and took a deep breath. She could do this. This would be fine. Probably. Sorin sighed and walked in front of her. “”Get up.” She did as told right away, standing up, legs still wobbly. “Alec, get her to Zeke, she won’t be of any use here.” Shit, he was already thinking she was useless. She heard a loud sound, the body was probably dropped to the floor. Alec peaked through the door, looking kinda confused. “You are way too judgy, you didn’t even give her any time.” Sorin glared at him and with a sigh, Alec pushed her outside the kitchen. </p>
<p>He didn’t say a word while they walked through the door at the end of the hallway. She could feel that he was tense. Maybe he didn’t get along with his boss, this ‘Zeke’ person. He walked her through a large room, filled with desks, cabins and weird … tech? Things? She did not recognize them. She didn’t get a good grasp of them because Alec was walking rather quickly. Looking at his face, it was like an open book. She could read all the emotions right away. And the emotion was fear. Maybe there was more to this Zeke. When they got through the next door, she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. They had entered a large conservatory filled with things she could only guess were plants. Strange, wonderfully colorful plants. They must be from their old home.</p>
<p>As she was looking around, trying to absorb every little detail, she could hear a door sliding open. Nearly hidden by the leaves of the plants, there was an entrance to the garden. And standing in between them, there was a person. Very human shaped. Before she could try to recognize more of their shape, they were already standing in front of her. ”Oh my,” the voice didn’t seem to come from one direction but from all around her. At first, they looked human. They had 4 limbs, a face, hair. But it felt wrong. Their skin… it had so many different colors. They looked like they were a puzzle made out of many different people. Oh god. As she looked into their eyes, she saw it. There were no eyes. Those two sockets were filled with a viscous liquid, a deep blue sea with tiny bits shimmering through. Following the neighboring skin patches, she recognized the stitches connecting them. and on some spots, she could see the same liquid underneath it again. </p>
<p>They were wearing a people suit. The stitched together hands grabbed her face, pushing and pulling her to take a look. “Did you get me a little gift? A new assistant?” They said teasingly. “Try not to kill her this time Zeke,” Alec said, voice flat. He had his hand on her back and she could feel him twitching. She was just standing there, frozen in place. “I don’t kill all of them, now do I,” they laughed: “She looks cute! Let’s keep her around and see what else she can do.” Alec’s dug his fingers into her back but as soon as he noticed it, he pulled them back. “She’s going to start tomorrow,” Zeke stated while they turned around. “Get her to a room, there must be one that’s empty now. If not, take her to yours.”</p>
<p>Alec grabbed her hand and walked out as soon as Zeke returned to the garden, pulling her along. He looked angry. With each step they took, his grip tightened on her arm. When they reached the steps of the staircase, she could feel tears already waiting in her eyes. She should say something. “Alec,” her voice was very quiet but he stopped right away. “Sorry,” he said and pulled his hand away. She thought he would add another thing but he turned around and kept walking. When she looked down the stairs, she could see Sorin standing in the kitchen door, glaring at her. </p>
<p>She quickly followed Alec upstairs. There was another hallway, 7 doors and once again, the wall was plastered with papers. The biggest one was next to the stairs, laminated once again. She recognized pretty quickly that it was the blueprint of the floor they were standing on. Names were scribbled on each room. Sorin and Kain on the first door on the left. Zeke at the one end of the floor, Frida on the other end. Malky and Alec on the first on the right, Lajila on the second left one. Pjira in the middle. There were so many people and so many names that weren’t human at all. Not that this meant anything -  Zeke sounded normal-ish too and was goo. </p>
<p>There were no empty rooms. All had a name sticked to them and she suspected Zeke knew that. Maybe that’s what made Alec upset. Him being upset was bad. She wasn’t deeply interested in his emotional wellbeing but she was very interested in her own bodily one. And of course, there was the curiosity. There were some tensions between the two of them and she sensed they had history. But asking now would be rather stupid. When she snapped out of her train of thoughts, Alec was already inside his room. His and ‘Malky’. Whoever that was. She should follow. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The room was big, very big but it was so full, it seemed tiny. On the left of the door was a small closet, followed by a beaten up couch. Hastily hidden behind it was a bunch of medical equipment. On the right, there was a large bed. Only one bed. Oh. Malky must be his partner. Next to the bed, there was a table, barely recognizable under the load and stacks of papers. Again, some weird sort of tech. But of course, the most apparent, gigantic thing in the room was a fish tank. Whoever this Malky was, they had an expensive hobby. The aquarium was well lit but only a few fish occupied the space. Mostly cleaner fishes, a few pretty ones she didn’t recognize. Strange. </p>
<p>“Sleep wherever you want,” Alec said while starting to undress. “You can have the couch, the bed, i don’t care. Might change in a few days when Malky is back.” She didn’t have to be asked twice when given a choice. She quickly got out of her boots, and sat down on the couch, carefully observing Alec get rid of layer after layer. He had already gotten rid of his shoes, followed now by his jacket. Beneath it, he was wearing another long sleeved hoodie but she was already able to spot some weirdness. His left arm was a lot larger than the right one. He took of the gloves she hadn’t even noticed until now. His skin? Was that skin? She would have to touch that to judge that - was purple and blue, like a bruise. But only on the left side. His fingers ended sharp like claws. Pulling his shirt over his head, Alec didn’t just reveal his large left arm, which looked like it wasn’t covered by skin but simply made out of muscles growing wildly, and out of human order. There was something far more particular he had been hiding under that shirt somehow. </p>
<p>A tail. It must have been at least 70 centimeters long, and it looked like it was made out of the weird skinless muscles like his arm was. It moved freely, wagging like a dogs tail. A top hide the spot where it was meeting his back. She would like to know what it looked like. “Could you stop staring?” Alec growled at her. She pulled her legs against her chest, making herself look smaller, weaker but she couldn’t stop looking. She wondered, where else did his body grow like that? Did it grow quickly or slowly to build these weird structures? Did it hurt?</p>
<p>She had crossed a border. Alec dropped his shirt and in two large steps, he was in front of her. Smashing his hand against the wall next to her, they were looking eye to eye. He opened his mouth to say something, anything but the anger in his face left when he kept looking at her. She would like to ask him why because she couldn’t think of a single reason for it. But she knew she shouldn’t interrogate the reason for her getting away with being rude even by human standards. If she asked too much, he might change his mind.</p>
<p>Instead of smashing her head into the wall, walking away or simply throwing her into the fish tank next to them, he sat down on the couch besides her. He looked tired. “What’s your name?” he asked. Her name. She had to stop for a moment. No one had called her by a name and she had told no one her name for 3 years. She only noticed now that she had to confront it again. Strange how she hadn’t missed it. “Dina.” He nodded and turned to her. “See, Dina, you have a good thing going on with this whole looking instead of speaking thing. A lot of the other’s will prefer it this way around. But with me? Don’t look at me like that.” He seemed serious. “But why?” she asked, voice weak. It seemed to take all of Alec’s strength not to shout at her. “I have eyes Dina. I know how I look. I remember what humans feel when they see a Nyk.” </p>
<p>“A Nyk? Is that the name for your kind?” That information was apparently enough for her brain to snap out of her cautious state. She had kept her mouth shut since she had been caught but now some things had to be said. She was curious and she needed answers. All the anger in Alec’s eyes disappeared when  he saw her look up to him, eyes wide open, filled with nothing but pure wonder. “Um, yes. That’s the name,” he replied and turned around. There was a strange sadness in his eyes. She could guess why. “So you haven’t been a ‘Nyk’ for long, have you?” She could have phrased that nicer. But considering the fact that she had barely spoken to anyone in the last years, this was fine. Alec got off the couch and shook his head. “No,” he explained. “We are not doing this right now. It’s like. What ? 3 am? And you are getting way to comfortable with this whole thing already.” </p>
<p>He face planted into his bed but turned around to look at her again. “You should sleep,” he said, a lot softer. “You have to work with Zeke and they expect everyone’s A game always and when they don’t get what they want, they get super nasty.” Looked like someone had experience with them. Dina nodded and made herself comfy enough to sleep. The lights went off and the only thing still illuminating the room where a few small lights in the fish tank. It was shining red. What an odd color she thought while she already drifted into sleep.</p>
<p>She was well aware when she was dreaming. It was really obvious, the fact that she was waking up in her old apartment was giving it away really quickly. She didn’t even move. She just decided to stay in her bed, and take in the sounds, smells and lights of her old home. She missed it sometimes. If she dreamed about it, that must be the case at least. Maybe she did just miss safety.  She dreamed of this very often.  “Dina,” a voice came out of nowhere. “You have failed. You are failing. You will fail. Dina. You have failed. You are-” The voice continued. She wasn’t really unsettled, just confused why there was something new happening. Trying to get up, she noticed how her body didn’t cooperate. “Hey,” she called. “What’s your issue?” Something moved. Oh, she disliked that. It was just a dream but nightmares still were unpleasant. “You will fail. Dina. You have failed. You are failing. You will fail. Di-”</p>
<p>“Dina!” She jumped up and ready to punch but it was Alec. It took her a few moments to calm down and just say “Uh, hi.” He sighed and turned around. “Looked like you were having a shit dream,” he mumbled. She climbed out of bed, wordless. Putting on her shoes, she hurried up to follow Alec downstairs. It’s not like she had another choice. Or did she? Until now, most security measures seemed rather lax. She wasn’t really keen on proving that theory. Especially since she had a feeling that Alec had a soft spot for her or some part of her and she didn’t really want to ruin that.</p>
<p>She caught up to him in the kitchen. Sorin was there already, looking even tireder than last night. No one said a thing, they just existed next to each other. Alec rummaged through the fridge and handed her a joghurt. When he closed the door and turned around, he saw her look at him with the same sense of wonder as last night. Dina hadn’t found any milk products that weren’t moldy for a 3 years at least. But here, in her hands, was a brand new joghurt, turning bad in just 2 weeks. It made sense of course. The Nyk had probably taken over the means of productions that the humans left behind. But it still felt special. Alec grabbed a few spoons from a  drawer and pulled her along. They walked back into the room with the many desks. Dina kept close to Alec when she heard a strange, new voice speak in a language she could not understand. </p>
<p>Sitting at the other end of the room, was a person. Well, Person implies a human form. Cramped on a chair, sat a large, transparent Octahedron filled with organelles of all sort. They were held up by 9 long, thick, tentacle like arms. They split up at the end but Dina couldn’t see what was hiding there. Most apparent were a set of 10 eyes, which moved around freely. But right now, they were all set on her. They growled something into her direction but she didn’t get a word. But Alec did. “Don’t be like that, Pijira! Cut her some slack.” They turned around and muttered something but Alec seemed satisfied. Dina sat next down to him: “What did they say?” she whispered to him. Alec handed her a spoon and sighed. “You don’t wanna know. Pijira is a bitch who simply doesn't like humans. She doesn’t like me either.”</p>
<p>Dina nodded and started eating. She made a mental note not to be in a room alone with Pijira. She wasn’t quite sure how dangerous this Nyk was but she looked the part. She looked truly alien. But so would Zeke without the skin around them. There were still 4 other inhabitants of this house she hadn’t met. She was curious where they would fall on the spectrum of human likeness. Thinking about Nyk and their strangeness, Zeke entered the room. “Good morning,” they chirped and went straight outside to the plants again. How strange. Suddenly, Dina’s body pulled her out of her observative state. “Alec,” she whimpered. “Where’s the toilet?” </p>
<p>“It’s the door across the kitchen,” she was already on her feet. Sorin looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she ran past him. Slamming the door shut, she was relieved to see that the room was filled with a simple old fashioned toilet. No weird alien tech. Wait did the Nyk even need toilets? Probably depends on what they used to be. Thinking back to Pijira’s reaction to her, she probably shouldn’t ask. Taking a piss on a proper toilet was a lot nicer than squatting between a few bushes. Dina took her sweet time getting finished. Looking at mirror, she started to frown. She hadn’t spend a lot of time thinking about her appearance in the last years, but now, that she was around people, thoughts started creeping up in her head again. She didn’t really feel like thinking about her early onsetting grey hair and weight again. So she focused on the more important things first: She was dirty and probably stinky. There was a shower in the room too so she could take one later. But first off, she would have to see what type of work she was expected to do here.</p>
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